Sleeveless garment

ABSTRACT

142A sleeveless garment comprises a breast covering layer configured to cover wearer&#39;s breasts, the breast covering layer comprising a cup portion and a peripheral portion, wherein the cup portion consists of two cups, and the peripheral portion is connected with the two cups to collectively constitute a seamless structure; an outer fabric layer attached to the exterior of the breast covering layer and comprising an upper part covering the breast covering layer and a lower part connected with the upper part; and an elastic band disposed below the cup portion and provided with an adjustment member for adjusting tightness/fitness. The sleeveless garment may simplify the production process and realize breast push-up and adjustment as well as body appearance enhancement effects. In addition, it has better breathability and allows adjustment of tightness/fitness and wearing comfort, and with the improved breast coverage, the breast covering layer can be prevented from loosening.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This Application claims priority of Taiwan Patent Application No. 102142745, filed on Nov. 25, 2013, the entirety of which is incorporated by reference herein.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to a garment and more particularly to a woman's garment which includes a breast covering layer combined on the inner side of an outer fabric to cover a wearer's breasts, thereby being applicable as a sleeveless garment such as a bra top, a tank or a camisole for women.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Conventional sports bras or sports undergarments provide desirable support to the breasts, but they are incapable of covering the whole truck of a wearer; therefore, the wearer's waist and abdomen are exposed, and the body appearance of the wearer is not enhanced, making people lacking confidence in their body appearance reluctant to wear this type of garment.

In order to satisfy the needs of female wearers, various bra tops have been made commercially available in recent years. This kind of garment uses a special design and style as well as elastic fabric materials to achieve the enhancement of body appearance. In addition, because bra tops eliminate the inconvenience of wearing a bra, their high convenience has made them widely popular among female consumers.

Fundamentally, there are two different approaches employed by conventional bra tops. In the first type of bra top design, receiving pockets are formed in the garment body, and removable pads are placed in the pockets by wearers before wearing and removed therefrom when the pads need cleaning. In the second type of bra top design, an inner layer structure, which is made of the same or different material as the garment body, is attached to the garment body by sewing, and two breast pads are sewn on the inner layer for covering the wearer's breasts.

The inventor of the present application has found several disadvantages of the two conventional designs. First of all, both approaches require complicated steps during the manufacturing process and thus result in difficult mass production. For example, the first approach needs to form receiving pockets, and the second approach has to prepare the inner layer through cutting and then sew the tailored breast cups on the inner layer, which involves many complicated steps and produces a lot of waste fabric.

Secondly, both approaches cause problems during use. In the first type of design, breast pads are disposed in the receiving pockets of the garment body, and this imposes a burden on the wearer who needs to put the breast pads in place and remove them before and after wearing, respectively. This problem results in low convenience, and the dismounted breast pads may be lost if not being kept appropriately. In addition, the sewing seams or opening structures on the receiving pockets may cause chafing and discomfort to the wearer's skin. In the second approach, breast pads are sewn on the inner layer of a certain shape, so a heterogeneous and discontinuous joint structure is formed between the breast pads and the inner layer, similarly causing chafing and discomfort to the wearer's skin due to the sewing seams or stitch threads at the boundary of the two different materials. Furthermore, because the thickness of the two breast pads is only slightly greater than that of the garment body, the supporting and holding effect is weak even though the body covering function may be served.

Additionally, the above-mentioned two kinds of bra tops are prone to cause shaking and displacement problems when being worn by wearers engaging physical exercise or activity. For example, when a wearer lifts her arms, the breast pads always move upward along with the receiving pockets or the inner layer fabric and fail to reposition back to the desirable position after the wearer lowers her arms, such that the wearer has to frequently adjust the garment after physical exercise or activity. Accordingly, the conventional bra tops cause great inconvenience for wearers performing strenuous activities and fail to provide safety and security to wearers when they attempt to engage various physical activities carefreely.

To sum up, all commercially available bra tops are unable to provide sufficient support to breasts and hold breasts firmly, so wearer's breasts are not appropriately supported and held in place; also, the purposes of pushing up breasts, enhancing breast appearance and providing safety and security to wearers engaging physical activities are not met.

Accordingly, there is a need to provide a solution to the above-mentioned drawbacks in prior arts.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is a primary object of this invention to provide a sleeveless garment which adopts a combination structure of a breast covering layer and an outer fabric layer and uses a unique design of the breast covering layer and an elastic band to achieve the purposes of simplifying the production process and realizing breast push-up and adjustment as well as body appearance enhancement effects. In addition, it has the advantages of better breathability and quick-dry and allows adjustment of tightness/fitness and wearing comfort, and with its improved breast covering layer, breasts can be held in place and prevented from displacement.

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object and other objects, a preferred embodiment of the sleeveless garment according to the present invention mainly comprises: a breast covering layer in contact with a wearer and configured to cover the wearer's breasts, the breast covering layer comprising a cup portion and a peripheral portion which are formed as a unitary structure, wherein the cup portion consists of a first cup and a second cup; an outer fabric layer comprising an upper part covering the breast covering layer and a lower part covering other portion of the wearer's torso below the breasts; and an elastic band disposed below the cup portion.

In one embodiment of the sleeveless garment according to the present invention, the first cup and the second cup are connected as a one-piece structure and are individually provided with a supporting structure, and each supporting structure is configured as a protrusion formed along a lower edge of the corresponding cup.

In one embodiment of the sleeveless garment according to the present invention, the first cup and the second cup are provided with a plurality of holes respectively, and the holes are preferably selected from blind holes, through holes or a combination thereof.

In one embodiment of the sleeveless garment according to the present invention, the elastic band comprises an adjustment member, and the adjustment member may be made by lamination.

In one embodiment of the sleeveless garment according to the present invention, the elastic band is connected with the outer fabric layer to allow the wearer to adjust the tightness/fitness of the garment.

In one embodiment of the sleeveless garment according to the present invention, the elastic band is spaced apart from the outer fabric layer, such that the garment may still be smoothly wearable when two adjustment members are combined.

In one embodiment of the sleeveless garment according to the present invention, the sleeveless garment is a bra top for women, such as a camisole or a tank.

This invention adopts a structural design where the breast covering layer is combined to the inner side of the outer fabric layer and uses the configuration of the breast covering layer and the elastic band to achieve the purposes of simplifying the garment production process. In addition, the breast covering layer can achieve breast push-up and adjustment effects and provide desirable support and breathability, and one or more adjustment members of the elastic band allow free adjustment of tightness/fitness and wearing comfort and further prevent the breast covering layer from loosening.

Generally, this invention provides at least the following features: (1) the breast covering layer has a unitary structure made of a single material, so the discomfort caused by skin chafing due to the existence of sewing seams or heterogeneous and discontinuous joint structure can be minimized; (2) the breast covering layer is fabricated by a single material, thereby eliminating the complicated procedures required to prepare receiving pockets or sew breast pads; (3) the breast covering layer may be combined with the outer fabric layer via the elastic band below it, such that the cup can be prevented from the problems associated with displacement; (4) wearers are allowed to adjust tightness/fitness by using the elastic band and the adjustment member and to slightly adjust the breast covering and supporting effects of the cups; and (5) the supporting structures of the breast covering layer can push up the breasts of the wearer to enhance the body appearance and provide safety and security to the wearer to allow her to engage physical exercise or activity carefreely.

It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only and are not restrictive of the invention as defined in the claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A more complete understanding of the subject matter can be derived by referring to the detailed description and claims when being considered in conjunction with the following figures, wherein like reference numbers refer to similar elements throughout the figures.

FIG. 1 illustrates an exploded perspective view of a sleeveless garment according to one preferred embodiment of this invention;

FIG. 2 illustrates a perspective view of a breast covering layer according to one preferred embodiment of this invention;

FIG. 3 illustrates a front perspective view of a sleeveless garment according to one preferred embodiment of this invention;

FIG. 4 illustrates a partial cross-sectional view of a sleeveless garment according to one preferred embodiment of this invention;

FIG. 5 illustrates a rear perspective view of a sleeveless garment according to one preferred embodiment of this invention;

FIG. 6 illustrates an outer perspective view of adjustment members according to one preferred embodiment of this invention; and

FIG. 7 illustrates an inner perspective view of adjustment members according to one preferred embodiment of this invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Exemplary embodiments are elaborated with reference to the accompanying drawings to improve understanding of the purposes, features and effects of the invention as presented herein.

Since various aspects and embodiments are merely exemplary and not limiting, after reading the specification and drawings, skilled artisans appreciate that other aspects and embodiments are possible without departing from the scope of the invention. Features and benefits of any one or more of the embodiments will be apparent from the following detailed description and the claims.

In this invention, the use of “a” or “an” is employed to describe elements and components described herein. This is done merely for convenience and to give a general sense of the scope of the invention. Accordingly, this description should be read to include one or at least one, and the singular also includes the plural unless it is obvious that it is meant otherwise.

As used herein, the terms “comprises,” “comprising,” “includes,” “including,” “has,” “having” or any other variation thereof are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion. For example, a component, structure, or article that comprises a list of elements is not necessarily limited to only those elements but may include other elements not expressly listed or inherent to such component, structure, or article. Further, unless expressly stated to the contrary, the term “or” refers to an inclusive or and not to an exclusive or. For example, a condition “A or B” is satisfied by any one of the following: A is true (or present) and B is false (or not present), A is false (or not present) and B is true (or present), and both A and B are true (or present).

As used herein, the term “unitary structure” refers to a structure where each and every part is made of substantially the same material, and the formation process for a unitary structure includes but not limited to subjecting a single material to a stamping, molding, hot-pressing, or cutting process or other processing means, such that the processed single material is provided with structural features at different areas. For example, a material suitable for the breast covering layer may be molded to produce the cup portion and the peripheral portion which represents the portion(s) other than the cup portion, and the cup portion and the peripheral portion may form a one-piece structure without using any bonding or connecting means.

As used herein, the term “bra top” refers to an upper garment having a breast covering structure configured on one side in contact with the wearer. This type of garment may cover the wearer's trunk or torso, including the chest and the abdomen.

Referring to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the sleeveless garment of this invention may be implemented as a woman's bra top, such as a camisole or a tank, and a preferred embodiment thereof comprises a breast covering layer 1, an outer fabric layer 2 and an elastic band 3.

As illustrated in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the breast covering layer 1 is configured to contact a wearer and cover the wearer's breasts, and it contains a cup portion 11 and a peripheral portion 12, which are formed as a unitary structure, such as an integrated seamless structure, by molding and cutting processes so as to simplify the production procedure.

The cup portion 11 consists of a first cup 111 a and a second cup 111 b; both cups have a bowl-like shape and may be selected from a full cup, a ¾ cup or a ½ cup, and the cup size may be implemented in various embodiments as, for example, A cup, B cup, C cup, D cup, etc., to meet the demands of wearers of different breast sizes. Thus, when buying the garment of the present invention, consumers may choose different garment sizes such as S, M or L according to their body sizes and may choose different cup sizes such as 36A, 34B, 32C, 38A, 36B or 34C according to their breast sizes.

The peripheral portion 12, which represents a part of the breast covering layer 1 other than the cup portion 11, such as a center gore, may be connected to the lower edges of the first cup 111 a and the second cup 111 b and extend to the side edges of the first cup 111 a and the second cup 111 b.

In one embodiment, the cup portion 11 and the peripheral portion 12 may individually have a single-layered structure or a multi-layered structure. In particular, the single-layered structure may be formed by a single molded layer of sponge, foamed sponge, elastomer, or other materials, and the multi-layered structure may be formed by molding or laminating two or more layers of sponge, foamed sponge, elastomer, or other materials and may be optionally provided with a functional surface fabric layer having fine texture on the inner surface and/or outer surface thereof to provide better wearing comfort and delicate touch feeling. In some embodiments, the surface fabric layer is subjected to the molding or pressing process with the sponge, foamed sponge, elastomer or other materials. In other embodiments, by means of lamination, sewing or other processes, the surface fabric layer is combined to the sponge, foamed sponge, elastomer or other materials which have been molded so as to form the cup portion 11 and/or the peripheral portion 12.

As illustrated in FIG. 1, FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, the outer fabric layer 2 comprises an upper part 21 covering the breast covering layer 1 and a lower part 22 covering other portion of the wearer's torso below the breasts. The upper part 21 and the lower part 22 can independently be made of long-staple fiber (such as Nylon, including N6, N66, poly yarn, etc.), mixture of long-staple and short-staple fiber (such as spun yarn), short-staple fiber (such as cotton), spandex, or other materials. In view of wearing comfort of wearers during physical activities, the outer fabric layer 2 may similarly made of long-staple fiber (such as Nylon, including N6, N66, poly yarn, etc.), mixture of long-staple and short-staple fiber (such as spun yarn), short-staple fiber (such as cotton), spandex, or other materials.

The upper part 21 may contain two shoulder straps 23, a neckline 24 between the shoulder straps 23 and two armholes 25 to constitute the sleeveless garment. If the breast covering layer 1 is combined with the inner side of the upper part 21, the lower edge of the peripheral portion 12 may be substantially aligned with the lower edge of the upper part 21, and the lower part 22 may be sewn at the lower edge of the upper part 21 to cover and surround the waist and abdomen of the wearer. The length of the upper part 21 and the lower part 22 may be designed according to different styles, and the upper part 21 and the lower part 22 may also constitute a one-piece structure made of a single material instead of being combined by sewing.

As illustrated in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the elastic band 3 is disposed below the cup portion 11 and particularly connected to the inner side or outer side of the peripheral portion 12. As illustrated in FIG. 5, two terminals of the elastic band 3 are connected with the outer fabric layer 2 and extended to the back portion of the outer fabric layer 2 to tightly fit the elastic band 3 to the breasts of the wearer and prevent the breast covering layer 1 from loosening. Furthermore, referring to FIGS. 5 to 7, two terminals of the elastic band 3 may be respectively connected with adjustment members 4 a and 4 b. The adjustment members 4 a and 4 b can be combined to the back portion of the outer fabric layer 2, and they both have a laminated structure. Each laminated structure may contain two strips 41 a or 41 b, and the strips 41 a or 41 b are bonded or adhered together, such that a first engagement structure 42 may be embedded between two strips 41 a of one adjustment member 4 a, and a second engagement structure 43 corresponding to the first engagement structure 42 may be embedded between two strips 41 b of the other adjustment member 4 b, such that both the first engagement structure 42 and the second engagement structure 43 are exposed from one side of the strips 41 a and 41 b, respectively. Thus, this lamination structure eliminates the need of sewing the first engagement structure 42 and the second engagement structure 43 and reduces the thickness of the adjustment members 4 a and 4 b to improve the compactness of the garment. Therefore, wearers are allowed to adjust the tightness/fitness of the elastic band 3 by changing the relative engagement position of the first engagement structure 42 and the second engagement structure 43, so as to control the wearing comfort and slightly adjust the cup portion 11 to change the breast supporting effect.

As illustrated in FIG. 2 and FIG. 4, the first cup 111 a and the second cup 111 b are connected as a one-piece structure and are individually provided on the inner side with a supporting structure 13. Both supporting structures 13 are protrusions formed along the lower edges of the first cup 111 a and the second cup 111 b, respectively. Each supporting structure 13 may contain a plurality of holes 14, such as blind holes, through holes or a combination thereof, to form air cushioning areas. Accordingly, when a wearer wears the garment, the supporting structures 13 provide support from beneath the breasts to push up the breasts, and the holes 14 are employed to increase breathability. Also, as illustrated in FIG. 4, the holes 14 can also be formed in the sponge, foamed sponge, elastomer, or other materials constituting the cup portion 11 and/or peripheral portion 12 to enhance breathability and wearing comfort.

Accordingly, as described above, this invention adopts a structural design where the breast covering layer 1 is combined with the outer fabric layer 2 and uses the configuration of the breast covering layer 1, the elastic band 3 and the adjustment members 4 a and 4 b to achieve the purpose of simplifying the sleeveless garment production process. In addition, the breast covering layer 1 can achieve breast push-up and adjustment effects and provide desirable breathability, and the adjustment members 4 a and 4 b of the elastic band 3 are useful for adjusting tightness/fitness and wearing comfort and further preventing the breast covering layer 1 from loosening, thereby providing a desirable wearing experience to wearers.

The above detailed description is merely illustrative in nature and is not intended to limit the embodiments of the subject matter or the application and use of such embodiments. As used herein, the term “exemplary” means “serving as an example, instance, or illustration.” Any implementation described herein as exemplary is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other implementations.

Moreover, while at least one exemplary embodiment has been presented in the foregoing detailed description, it should be appreciated that a vast number of variations exist. It should also be appreciated that the exemplary one or more embodiments described herein are not intended to limit the scope, applicability, or configuration of the claimed subject matter in any way. Rather, the foregoing detailed description will provide those skilled in the art with a convenient guide for implementing the described one or more embodiments. Also, various changes can be made in the function and arrangement of elements without departing from the scope defined by the claims, which include known equivalents and foreseeable equivalents at the time of filing this patent application. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A sleeveless garment, comprising: a breast covering layer in contact with a wearer and configured to cover the wearer's breasts, the breast covering layer comprising a cup portion and a peripheral portion which are formed as a unitary structure, wherein the cup portion consists of a first cup and a second cup; an outer fabric layer comprising an upper part covering the breast covering layer and a lower part covering other portion of the wearer's torso below the breasts; and an elastic band disposed below the cup portion.
 2. The sleeveless garment of claim 1, wherein the first cup and the second cup are connected as a one-piece structure and are individually provided with a supporting structure.
 3. The sleeveless garment of claim 2, wherein the supporting structures individually comprise a protrusion formed along a lower edge of the corresponding cup.
 4. The sleeveless garment of claim 1, wherein the first cup and the second cup are provided with a plurality of holes respectively.
 5. The sleeveless garment of claim 4, wherein the holes are blind holes, through holes or a combination thereof.
 6. The sleeveless garment of claim 1, wherein the elastic band comprises an adjustment member.
 7. The sleeveless garment of claim 6, wherein the adjustment member comprises a laminated structure.
 8. The sleeveless garment of claim 1, wherein the elastic band is connected with the outer fabric layer.
 9. The sleeveless garment of claim 1, wherein the elastic band is spaced apart from the outer fabric layer.
 10. The sleeveless garment of claim 1, being a bra top for women.
 11. The sleeveless garment of claim 10, wherein the bra top for women is a camisole or a tank. 